A fresh look on recycling
Now that you all are seasoned Eco-Reps, what issues do you see with recycling in the residence halls? What strategies have you employed to help with these issues?
posted by UVM Eco-Reps Program Coordinator @ 12:45 PM
Now that you all are seasoned Eco-Reps, what issues do you see with recycling in the residence halls? What strategies have you employed to help with these issues?
posted by UVM Eco-Reps Program Coordinator @ 12:45 PM
23 Comments:
I think compared to other campuses UVM does a pretty good job at strongly encouraging recycling and in many ways making it "the norm" for students around campus. Unfortunately some people simply do not care. Example: the beautiful, fairly large signs at the Davis center clearly say what to recycle....yet people still will thrw away there recyclable plastics, etc. I think focusing on paper recycling in places such as the library, waterman, and other places could be very beneficial. Possible art displays within the library and alot of recycle signs would remind students that practically everything we use at the library can be recycled. In my building, converse, it is difficult because there is only recycling in the basement....in a 6 level building. Possible getting some big blue bins in the attic would help.
-Jim-converse.
I've noticed that the residence hall has been doing pretty well for recycling! One point of confusion can be when bins don't look the same, so as long as they are clearly labeled everything runs smoothly. This is something I've noticed in comparison to bins around other academic buildings. A lot of the bins have the hole for cans/bottles and not one for paper so for those who don't know that recycling can all go in one bin it can be confusing. So far so good though!
-Lisa
I think one of the problems, although it is minor, is that people are still unaware that it is all-in-one. In one of my halls in L/L, there are still two bins of different sizes, one labeled for cans and bottles and the other labeled for paper.
Also, as Jim mentioned, bringing awareness and more accessible bins to the library would be great.
Having the holes of various sizes on the bins in DC and the library is confusing as well.
It's hard to say what the issue here really is, because to me, and the other eco-reps, recycling is such a no-brainer and so logical. Part of me wants to jump out and label the non-recycler with words like lazy and apathetic, but the problem is really much deeper. So, maybe the problem is lack of knowledge, especially with students coming from all places that have all different levels of recycling. I like to think that putting signs by the recycling and making bulletin boards that some students will have changed their unknowing ways.
-Kae
I see education and motivation as two key issues with recycling in the residence halls. Students must know what, why, and how to recycle. Next they must have the drive to carry it out. Education is employed easily enough with proper signage and labeling of the bins. However, it is harder task to convince students to recycle. Some ways to accomplish this are to show students what is in it for them. For instance, the University must pay for the trash it removes, while it recieves money for the recyclables it outsources. More recycling = better education.
Dan Hale
Recycling efforts in the Living/Learning "B" complex continues to impress me. Perhaps due to its small size it experiences less traffic. The recycling and trash bins always appear to be well sorted. Thanks to the great house keeping, the area is also always very clean, making it easier for people to sort their items.
One problem I did not notice until this semester is that the class rooms in Living/Learning (often on the first floors) only have recycling bins and no trash cans, causing everything to be deposited into the one recycling bin.
Perhaps more signs reminding everyone what belongs in the recycling and what does not would encourage them to carry their trash to the next trash can they come across!
-Hedda
I agree with most in saying that recycling here is far better than many other places. I do however also agree that some people have a lot of trouble with recycling. I think that those who do not recycle are mostly those who do not care. In order to fix this i think we should make it more clear to people why they should recycle and how much of an actual difference it makes. There should also be uniform bins throughout the res halls, if not the entire campus.
- Jenna
Now that you all are seasoned Eco-Reps, what issues do you see with recycling in the residence halls? What strategies have you employed to help with these issues?
I think the biggest issue, at least in my residence hall, is apathy. Because I know that the kids in my hall at least know what recycling and composting and where the rooms all are, but from things I've seen happen in res hall (i.e. someone writing "recycling is bad" on one of the posters) I feel like the students in N2 just don't really care that much about actually doing what they should be in termsof recycling etc.
Since I just got assigned an additional building in North (N3) I plan on going around again to talk to the residents to basically get things straightened outa nd try to reestablish with them that recycling AND composting is good. I would also really like to get some help with the RAs on that type of project. Maybe set up a quick hall meeting with each RAs residents so I could quickly de brief on the recycling issues.
I've also noticed that in most, if not all, of the study and lounge areas, there are only trash cans so I need to follow up with the RD and Hall council about getting more recycling bins for those rooms.
-Sam Ethridge!
i'm pretty pumped to say that MAT is looking good..the only thing i can think of is what looks like the occassional confusion with whether an item is recyclable or not. i still have friends who are not aware uvm is accepting plastics 1-7 or that items such as foil (without food)can go in the recycle bin. i just think it's an on going process that's going to need our attention for awhile, so for now, i think we're doing pretty good..but we should definitely continue getting the word out! woo recycle :)
--winter
I'm excited to report that Wills is still concerned about the state of their recycling program. Most of their bins look healthy with little form of contamination. This afternoon I got off the phone with a friend of mine attending a different college. She told me that recycling bins don't even exist at her college and that as the environmental club's president, her next major goal is to set up a sound recycling program for the students. I was proud to tell her of the success of our program and that there is still room for improvement.
-Caroline
I am an EcoRep in the Greenhouse and I have to give two thumbs up to all of the residents!! Whenever I go into the trash rooms the recycling bins always seem to be properly sorted. The biggest problem seems to be that some recycling materials end up in the trash bins. I think the biggest thing to combat this problem is to advertise more about the proper things to recycle.
~Natalie
So far I think everyone on my floor is doing an ok job at recycling. I wish that there was a class that taught it to everyone and it was mandatory because it is really frustrating to see plastic bottles STILL in the trash. I think that putting up signs and hoping people will listen is the best we can do right now. Choosing to recycle is something that can't be forced, because then people just get annoyed. I think signs and better bins will help the situation a lot. Also, the shaped recycling containers are NOT helpful t all because if there isn't one for every container that can be recycled people are just going to throw it out.
~Briana
While recycling can seem like a very easy task for some, others either find it too hard or just don't care. I've noticed all instances while monitoring at the Davis Center and it can be frustrating. Plenty of people just ignored my offer to help them sort their garbage and I noticed them still put their bottles in the trash container. I feel like recycling,composting and trash can be daunting especially at first glance since there is a lot to know. I think one of the major strategies that I have tried to go by is "keep it simple." The signs are great and helpful to those who care to look at them. One important thing to remember is to keep the signs easy to read and showy without being overwhelming.
It is frustrating to still see some of the confusion on campus about recycling. I think if more people knew exactly how easy it is- for example that you can recycle all items with numbers 1-7 on them- they would be more conscious of their recycling behavior. In my res hall, wing of WDW, the recycling behavior has definitely improved and I have noticed less contamination, so this is encouraging! I think another reason for the confusion is the inconsistency of the signage and container size/color in the academic buildings, as well as the res halls. But this is why us seasoned eco-reps are around!
Casey
I think one of the biggest problems is that UVM students come from a variety of locations which all have different recycling rules. Even though our message is out there, they are stuck with their rules in mind. I think small signs with general rules should be posted above all recycling and trash buckets just to remind them of the basics. I don't think we need the giant signs with all the examples in every location.
I also think that people need to be more motivated. I think most people assume that everyone else here recycles so they don't need to pay attention but in reality we all need to work harder. It's hard to get people to become motivated, and I realize this, but it still needs work.
-Rachel Brooks
Now that you all are seasoned Eco-Reps, what issues do you see with recycling in the residence halls? What strategies have you employed to help with these issues?
In our res hall, recycling has been going pretty well, but in terms of other parts of campus I feel like there could still be some improvements. I know that in Delehanty Deck there is a big problem with the actual bins because of the shape of the top for recycling, compost, and trash. To solve this problem we tried to imitate the signs in the Davis Center, using actual things that are found in the Deck on posters so people can easily understand where to put their trash. But overall I still think there is a lack of motivation for a lot of people and sometimes the most convenient bin is the one that people choose. I think that one way to solve that problem would be to have a trash bin always accompanied by a recycling bin, being more of a unit. That way, there would always be the opportunity and there would be less room for laziness.And along with that, the student body needs to be educated on the importance of recycling.
Sarah
In Mercy there is definitely a big difference between floors. It's interesting to see that more girls compost and recycle than guys, but the 3rd floor girls compost and recycle more than the 1st floor girls. Because the trash cans are the ones which are closer to the door I think people often don't step into the kitchen (where the bins are located) they just go to the closest one which often takes the route of convenience over earth-saving efforts.
As far as campus-wide perspectives I feel as if a lot of older buildings don't really have an eco set-up, in the sense that there aren't really any centrally located bins for recycling and trash, but ones that are randomly scattered through out. I have lab in a classroom in Waterman and every week I end up pulling out atleast five recyclable items out of the trash when the recycling bin is RIGHT next to the trash. I think people definitely need a list of what is allowed in what bin. I think people are often scared of messing up recycling by putting things in the wrong bin, but they also don't want to admit that and therefore resort to trash.
Signs like the Davis Center are really helpful and I think with the addition of compost into the Deck people are definitely starting to pick that up and hopefully continue into their res life as well.
-Olivia
I am still seeing some issue in composting happening smoothly within Christie Hall, however, recycling has become wonderful! All four floors have been doing a great job of separating recycling from trash. So an overall "YAY!" from this direction
--Leigha
Absoultely the number one issue that I see, not only in the res halls but also all over campus, is people putting non-recyclables in the trash cans, and vice versa. There is no one strategy that I think can totally cure this, but having good signage for people to be able to easily identify what goes in which bins. I've talked to alot of people at the Marche and the Davis Center who really appreciate the signs. Even as a seasoned Eco-Rep, I still sometimes refer to the signs at the Davis Center as a model for signs around my res hall! The biggest obstacle is that some people just don't care, and that is something that will be very challenging to change. I agree with Jim that the library is one of the places that needs the most revamping as far as signage goes- maybe a group of eco-reps could get together and take that on!
-Kate resch
I, too, feel that UVM is really good at the res-hall recycling deal, comparatively speaking. One issue, though, is that sometimes, we actually run out of room in the recycle bins, so people are left with no choice but to either stack up their recyclables to the side, or throw them in the trash. Unfortunately, they usually pick the latter. Haven't thought of a good way of combating this yet, other than hand-picking...
Another issue I've noticed, although I'm sorry to admit it, is that the new posters, despite their awesomeness, say "It all goes in one bin." I feel that many residents have taken this to mean "It all goes in any bin." I think this could be easily rectified, though, with item-specific signage.
Like other posts, I feel that education in all places is important, as is spreading the campaign to B/H, etc.
I definitely agree that here at UVM we have a really good recycling program compared to other colleges and places I've been. Actually, I really feel that Burlington in general is very aware of the necessity to recycle and I find a lot more recycling bins here than at stores at home. What I think it boils down to here on campus is whether or not the students really want to make an effort to recycle because there are definitely signs up near most trash and recycling bins explaining what goes into where so I don't really think confusion should be a problem anymore. The signs at the marche look great and I'm really glad they are back up...as for coolidge the recycling there is decent I would say with some days being better than others.
-Steph Kiesow
The recycling in L/L D building is usually uncontaminated. People are aware that bottles are recyclable but it would be great if they paid more attention to what they are throwing away in the trash because some things that one wouldn't think are recyclable can be recycled. Also many people don't seem to recycle paper, including cardboard. If possible maybe it would be helpful if I made a poster of 'weird things that can be recycled' for the trash/recycling room.
:Kizette:
One thing I've noticed with recycling is that people tend to be pretty consistent with it when given the option - the problem seems to come when the option involves putting forth an extra effort. When there are locations that just have a trash, with no recycling bin next to it, it seems like people are a lot more apt to just throw whatever it is into the trash. There were two bins in the Harris/Millis lobby by the front desk, and it was unclear which was trash and which was recycling. Many mornings I'd walk by and end up sort of designating one to be recycling, and move some things around. I put two simple signs up, and it's made such a big difference. Now it's really clear which is which, and people generally do a great job of recycling in those bins.
That said, I think this is an issue across campus; the trash bins that aren't anywhere near a recycling bin. Outside, in the library (with so much paper!), and the laundry rooms. It would be neat to see whether we could create some sort of policy where whenever there's an option to throw something away, there's also the option to recycle it.
-Page
Post a Comment
<< Home